Lips of Pink
by Strawberry Nightmare
Summary: Amelia returns to work and with Catherine and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, while Nick and Sara try to work out their relationship as they, along with Grissom, investigate the murder of a Sociologist. Part 3 of the Amelia Stokes Series.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Lips of Pink

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.

**Summary:** Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **Sorry this has taken so long! I got caught up in school. But I am finally free and ready to get back to writing! Sorry that Halfhearted was pretty, well, halfhearted in terms of writing. I hope Lips of Pink will be a great story!

**Chapter 1: Tim Jr.**

"_I've been told that nothing will last forever, but I know that there will never be someone quite like you and I. You promise that no one will ever come between the two of us." –The Storm 'Drops in the Ocean'_

June 2, 2005 started off like any other day. Amelia, now 39 weeks into her pregnancy, was tired and aching. Her stomach had grown so much over the last 15 weeks, she often wondered if she was in fact carrying twins. Luckily for her, it was just one baby, as the ultrasounds proved. She didn't think she could handle two babies at once.

In January, Grissom accompanied his girlfriend to her 20-week checkup. They were both anxious to find out the sex of the baby. Amelia and her mother had long thought it would be a boy. Grissom, though not the biological father of the baby, was secretly hoping for a girl. He couldn't explain it, but he thought Amelia with a little girl would be a beautiful thing.

When the ultrasound showed it was a boy, a feeling of relief passed through Amelia. And then regret. Regret that Tim would never know his child, never know his own son.

Amelia and Grissom soon agreed that the boy would be named Timothy Michael Speedle, Jr., in honor of his late father. They both decided this would be the proper way to honor Tim.

As her June 8th due date crept closer and closer, Amelia's fears of being a mother were in overdrive. She constantly lay awake at night, while Grissom was at work, worrying about what kind of a mother she would be and what kind of a father Grissom would be. She knew, deep down, her fears would be for naught, but at the same time, the irrational side of her brain often took over and spread the fear through her like a virus.

But June 2nd started like every other day before it. Grissom arrived home after a particularly difficult shift, and Amelia awoke after a relatively sleepless night. Amelia greeted Grissom with a kiss, happy to see him. Grissom, even after a long night shift, walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Amelia. As she sat down on the couch to turn on Food Network, a pain in her stomach made her pause. Soon it dissipated and she returned to her normal morning routine.

All through the morning, the pain came and went. Sometimes it was more painful than others. Grissom watched her all morning, noticing the grimaces on her face. After a few hours, he began to time the pain and soon it became painfully obvious Amelia was not going to make it to her June 8th due date.

And true enough, at 3:24 am on June 3rd, Timothy Michael Speedle, Jr. made his way into the world. For Amelia, words could not express her joy at first laying eyes on her son. For Grissom, he finally had what he had secretly longed for, a family.

Grissom took a couple of days off from work while Amelia and Tim remained in the hospital. The first night home as a family, while something like a bit chaotic, was still a wonderful thing for Grissom. Watching Amelia and Tim interact was fascinating for Grissom. For a long time, Grissom figured he would never marry and have kids. While he was still not married and had no biological children of his own, watching Amelia and Tim gave Grissom hope for the future. He had been in love with Amelia for a long time. It was rare for Grissom to find a woman who could match him in every way, and that was Amelia. Her love of science and truth was beautiful to Grissom.

The first time Grissom held Tim, Amelia broke down in tears. Not of sadness, but of happiness. Here stood a man she had loved and adored and here he was, holding a child that was not biologically his, but still the love on his face was evident and sure. For the first time in a long time, Amelia was happy.

When Grissom had to return to work, leaving Amelia for much of the day by herself with Tim, he worried that the stress would be too much for her. For a while, she worried herself. But soon she found strength in the love of those around her. She realized she could be a wonderful mother as long as she fought against getting lost in sadness.

Amelia's parents and many of her siblings came to visit over the next few weeks. Even Grissom's mother came to see the new baby. Seeing so many of her friends and family gave Amelia a renewed strength.

While she feared going back to work and leaving Tim with a nanny, she also craved the puzzles that work brought her. Amelia had started on the swing shift back in January. It had been difficult for her to get used to, but now she found herself missing her new teammates. She still got to see Warrick, Grissom, Nick, Catherine and Sara at work often, so she was not completely removed from her friends.

Plus there was a rumor that Ecklie was planning on changing things around for grave shift. Amelia secretly hoped that Ecklie would move Catherine or Warrick up to Swing shift with her, although she knew Catherine wanted to be the Days supervisor.

As her maternity leave came closer to the end, the doubts in her mind got bigger. But a few talks with Catherine helped to calm Amelia down. Amelia knew that once she got back in the schedule, while it would be emotionally difficult, working would be a good thing for her.


	2. Update

**Update**

Hello is anyone out there?

It has been two years since I updated and I am so sorry! I promise I am back and writing this story. I still really want to finish this series!

In the meantime, if you enjoy werewolves and vampires, please check out my debut novel: Farther Side of Away. It can be found on Smashwords in all ebook forms: books/view/339792 and can also be found in paperback on , .uk, , and

Thank you and I hope to have chapter 2 up very soon!

~SN~


	3. Chapter 2

**Title:** Lips of Pink

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.

**Summary:** Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **I am so sorry this has taken two years! But here it is finally. I am definitely going to try and keep updating. Sorry everyone! And please check out my debut novel, Farther Side of Away (available in paperback and in all ebook formats).

**Chapter 2: A Dead Stripper**

When Amelia returned to work at the end of her maternity leave, the hot July air greeted her like an old friend. Amelia struggled in the heat, a reminder of Florida and Speed. Oh how she missed her Florida friends. After Timmy was born, Horatio came to visit. He was good with the little baby, but he seemed more concerned with her. Having a constant reminder of Speed was difficult, but Amelia was also appreciative of having her son. Timmy would keep Speed with her forever.

Although she was jittery at leaving home without her newborn son, she was ready, in some manner, to get back to work. She was, however, quite nervous at working her first case since becoming a mother. How would she react? Would she get too attached? And what if it was the murder of a child? Could she handle it? Her hormones were still messed up. She would cry at the drop of a hat. This job didn't lend well to those kinds of emotions.

But as Grissom reminded her daily, she would deal with whatever would come her way. There was no sense in worrying about what hasn't even happened. She would deal with it as it came to her. That was the only way she could get through it.

The rumors about shift changes turned out to be true. Ecklie did in fact break up the grave shift. He moved an angry Catherine to swing shift, along with Warrick and Amelia. Nick, Sara, and Grissom remained on the grave shift. Catherine was angry about not being moved to Days, but she was happy to be in charge of the swing shift.

After taking her time to say goodbye to Timmy, Amelia finally left for work. Amelia had spent weeks before she had him looking for a competent baby sitter. She wasn't going to leave him with just anyone. It took a while, but Amelia found Olivia Poole, a lovely woman who lived nearby. Still, Amelia worried.

Amelia arrived at the office for her first day back. She parked and sat in her car, the engine off, staring at the large building. A thousand feelings ran through her, most of them nerves. She missed Timmy already and she had only just left him twenty minutes ago. Leaving him behind was hard. He was only six weeks old. Theoretically, she could stay at home with him for as long as she wanted. They could live off of Grissom's paycheck, but she missed the puzzles that work brought. She had to find the balance between family and work and the only way to do that was to go back to work. She couldn't be dependent on Timmy. She had to go back to work.

So Amelia took a deep breath and opened the door to her car. It was time to return to work. Women throughout the ages had left their children behind to go to work and Amelia would do the same.

Walking through the familiar halls, it felt like she had only been gone for a day, not weeks. Friends and co-workers greeted her as she retraced old steps. She kept going until she reached the locker room, pausing only to wave and smile at people. Once inside the locker room, she shut the door and leaned against it, her eyes squeezed shut. Amelia took a deep breath. Why was it so hard just to walk in? It could only get harder from here.

Shaking her head, Amelia pushed off the door and walked over to her locker. She had been away for so long, but her locker was just as she remembered it. She pulled a picture out of her wallet and stuck it on the inside of her locker door. It was of Amelia, Timmy, and Grissom the day Timmy was born. Amelia kissed the tips of her fingers and then pressed them to the picture. She could see Timmy whenever she needed to. She would be fine. Amelia pulled out her belt and put it on. The weight was familiar, yet awkward. And the belt was almost too small. Losing the baby weight had been a slow process and Amelia hadn't gotten back to her pre-baby body yet. Like everything, it would take time.

"Amelia?" a familiar voice spoke to her side.

Amelia turned and saw Warrick standing in the doorway. She smiled brightly at him.

"Hey Warrick. I'm back," she said with arms open.

Warrick smiled and laughed. He walked over to her and they hugged. Pulling away, he spoke, "it's good to have you back. Ready to work?"

Amelia shrugged and walked towards him after closing her locker. "We'll soon find out."

Together, they walked to the conference room where Catherine was waiting. She greeted Amelia warmly before getting to business.

"Well, we've got plenty of paperwork and cases to go over. So take a seat and let's get started," she ordered. "If a case comes in, we'll be off. So use your time wisely."

The trio got to work, with Catherine leaving to return to her office. Amelia's head swam as she read over old and new case files. She stared at crime scene photos, the images of death and destruction staring back. The cruelness of the world never failed to unnerve her. How could people do this to one another? That was a question she had longed asked herself.

They had been at it for a couple of hours when Catherine came back into the room, a familiar look on her face.

"We've got a new case. Get your things. Time for you to get back out there Amelia," Catherine said.

Amelia stood up from her seat. It was time.

The call led them to an alleyway on the east side of town. A woman lay dead on the other side of a dumpster. From the street, you could only see her feet sticking out, an easy thing to miss. Warrick and Amelia grabbed their kits out of the car and began their way down the alley. She was so glad to see Det. Jim Brass on the case. His recovery from being shot was tough, not just for Brass but for those around him. He wasn't the best patient. Amelia always joked he was grumpier when he was injured.

"Hello Brass," Amelia greeted him as they reached the body.

"Welcome back Stokes. How's the little one?" he asked.

Amelia set down her kit and pulled off her sunglasses, putting them in a pocket. A huge smile crossed her face as she thought of her son. "He's great. I miss him though," she answered.

Brass nodded knowingly. "It only gets worse." He turned to the body and began to explain, "here we have Leslie Miller. Age 23. Her license puts her home a few blocks from here, which is where Catherine is. Her body was found by someone walking by about an hour ago. He saw her feet sticking out, came down to look, and then called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene."

Warrick stood close to the body and had bent over, looking over Leslie. She was dressed, thankfully, but she was missing her shoes. She wore a tank top with knee length shorts. Her blonde hair was caked with blood.

David was examining her head and confirmed first glances. "Looks like a head wound, not a gun wound. Looks fatal. Lividity suggests she came to lie here not long after her death, but the lack of blood under her says she didn't die here."

Warrick nodded. "She's got plenty of blood in her hair, but none under her. Anybody see any blood around here?" he asked.

Brass shook his head. "Not in the alley."

Amelia pulled her camera out of her kit and began to take photos.

"Looks like she got her attacker," Warrick commented as he pointed at her hands.

Amelia got close to take photos of her hands. She had blood under fingernails, which Amelia hoped was the attackers.

"Good girl."

They collected their evidence and then Amelia headed over to Leslie's apartment to help Catherine while Warrick headed back to the lab with the evidence.

Leslie, it turned out, was a stripper at one of the seedier strip clubs not far from her apartment. The girl had a degree in Psychology, but apparently had problems finding better work.

Amelia joined Catherine in going over the girl's apartment. It was pretty bare and was not in good condition. Likely, the girl took the cheapest apartment she could get.

In the bathroom, they found blood dripping down the wall in the shower and a large pool of blood in the tub. The curtain had been ripped down, mostly likely in a struggle. "Must be where she died," Catherine said as Amelia took pictures.

"Seems like it. The question is what killed her? Was her head slammed into the wall or did she get hit with something?" Amelia posed.

"Hopefully autopsy and trace will get us answers."

The apartment didn't seem to have many more answers. There didn't appear to have been a struggle anywhere other than the bathroom. She had a family, Amelia saw. Leslie kept a photo of herself with what appeared to be her parents on her nightstand next to her bed.

"Those poor parents," Amelia mumbled to herself. She could feel the tears starting to well up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't break so soon.

"You ok?" Catherine asked from the bedroom doorway.

Amelia turned and nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, it's just a little bit tough."

"Having kids changes how you view this job, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah," Amelia answered.

Amelia turned to the bed and after taking a few photos, began going over it. When she turned off the lights and used the black light, she found body fluids. She took samples and then joined Catherine in the living room.

They found her purse in the living room. The purse was only missing her license, which was found on her. Inside the purse was a wallet with money, so robbery wasn't the reason. The cell phone proved to be the real find. Leslie had gotten several calls in the past day from one number. Hopefully that would lead them to the killer.

"Something happened here," Catherine said. "Something that robbed a young woman of her life."

"Yeah, but what and why?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Title:** Lips of Pink

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.

**Summary:** Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **Sorry this took so long. I've been busy with life and the first chapter of my new CSI fanfic "One Eye Open", so please check that out!

**Chapter 3: Dinner for 2?**

Grissom didn't have much experience with children, particularly newborns. He never saw himself getting married or having children. Now that he had Timmy, things had changed. He was settling into his new life with Amelia and Timmy, though it was a slow process.

He worked in a difficult job and he saw the terrible things that people did to each other, but every now and again, he saw the good things people did for each other. Standing in his home with Timmy in his arms, the world didn't seem so bad. He wanted to protect Timmy as best he could. He already had the strong urge to shield the young boy from the terrors of the world.

Grissom was glad to have Amelia back in his life. Not only was she back in his life, she loved him as much as he loved her. Certainly, she still had feelings for Tim and that would never go away. Grissom didn't expect her to stop caring about Tim, especially when it hadn't even been a year since the man died.

Grissom just wanted to be there for her and Timmy. They were part of his family now.

Most days before work, he would hold Timmy in his arms and stare at his tiny face. He wanted to give the little boy the best chance in the world.

A whole new part of the world had opened to Grissom; he could only hope that he could make a positive difference in Timmy's life. He just wanted to be there for the young boy and his mother.

Nick and Sara had been seeing each other for several months now, but they were still going slow. Sara wasn't ready to fully commit and Nick was ok with how things were. He was worried things would get weird at work.

Once a week, when they could find the time, they met up for dinner before their shift. Most weeks, they never got around to it. They were just too busy with work.

Nick knew Sara well enough to know that pushing anything would be a bad idea. He had to let her get comfortable and come to him, if she wanted to. So he waited. It wasn't so bad. When they were together, they had a good time. They would eat, talk, and laugh. It was the finding time part that was difficult.

Today had been a slow day for the grave shift. Nick knew the swing shift was busy with several cases, but grave hadn't had much. For today at least. So Nick and Sara were supposed to go out for dinner before shift.

Yet, Nick had a feeling it wasn't going to go the way he planned. He and Sara never made reservations anywhere. They found if they made reservations, then they never made the dinner. So they played it by ear.

Nick and Sara planned to meet at the lab, as usual. The day had been hot, of course. When did they ever have any other kind of weather in Las Vegas? Nick made his way into the lab, looking for Sara.

He found her in Grissom's office, talking with their boss. He stood in the hallway for a moment to watch them. Sara and Grissom had a past. What kind of a past, Nick wasn't sure. He hadn't been happy to hear that his sister and Grissom had started dating when she got out of the hospital. It wasn't that he didn't like Grissom. Nick was well aware of his sister's feelings for Grissom since she first came to Vegas all of those years ago.

As close as they were, Nick tried not to get too involved in his sister's personal life. But after the drama with Evan, Nick tried to pay more attention. At least he never had to worry about Grissom physically abusing Ames.

Nick just wasn't overly fond of the age difference between Amelia and Grissom. And Nick knew Gris well enough to know that he could be a bit abrasive at times. Nick just didn't want Amelia to get hurt again.

Nick shook himself out of his thoughts and walked into Grissom's office. "Hey Gris, Sara," he greeted them.

"Hey Nick," Grissom said. "Sara says you two are going out to dinner."

"Yeah, if that's alright with you. We're not busy, so we figured we could sneak out for an hour," Nick paused. "Did you-did you want to come with us?" he asked. He prayed Grissom did not want to tag along. That would not make it a good dinner.

"Oh no. No, I've got paperwork to do. Just make sure you keep an eye on the time and keep your phones out. This is Vegas, things could go wrong at any second," he told them.

Sara and Nick nodded. Sara stood up from her chair. "We'll be back soon. And then we can continue our discussion Gris," she said.

Nick watched her carefully as she gave Grissom a lingering smile, which Grissom didn't seem to notice. Grissom nodded and waved at them before looking down at the paperwork on his desk. Nick turned and walked out of the office, his thoughts clouding his mind.

Nick and Sara headed out of the lab and drove to a nearby burger joint. A quick and simple dinner for them. At first, as they waited for their meals, they sat in silence. Nick wasn't sure what to say after seeing her with Grissom.

Sara was a somewhat distant person; not easy to connect to. Her relationship, whatever it was, with Grissom was difficult to try and figure out. Nick just didn't know what to make of it.

"Something bothering you?" Sara finally asked.

Nick shrugged and he couldn't look her in the eyes. "Mostly just worried about Ames, ya know? I know she's happy to have a part of Speed, but I worry about her and Timmy. There's other ways of honoring the dead," he said. He looked at Sara.

She nodded. "I get it. You're worried about her coming back to work, having a son, mourning a boyfriend, and being with Grissom. It's all quick and it's all under less than perfect circumstances. It makes sense, Nick. Amelia is strong though. And she can ask for help, if she needs it. I don't think you have to worry too much, Nick."

Nick shook his head and looked away, sighing. "It's so much more than that. Of course she's strong, just look at what she's survived. I just don't want her to do something because it's easy."

Sara cocked her head. "What? You mean being with Grissom? You think she doesn't love him?" she questioned.

Nick shrugged and looked sheepish. "She's been busy with Timmy and I've never found a good time to ask. It could get messy if it doesn't work out though. I just want my sister to be happy," he explained.

"Who are you talking about now?" she asked. "Amelia and Grissom, or you and me? Relationships can get messy, that doesn't mean they're wrong or a bad idea," Sara paused. "Grissom isn't much for relationships, you know that. If he didn't think she was interested, I don't think he'd be there. Let them be adults."

"I can't help it. It's called being a brother."

Sara chuckled as the waitress came with their meals. "Sure, Nick, sure."

The pair dug into their burgers and fries. For several moments, neither spoke. Then finally, Nick said, "I don't assume anything about our relationship."

Sara ate a fry and remained silent.

"Whatever you want Sara, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to," he said.

Sara's face remained impassive and then she nodded. "I know, Nick, I know."


	5. Chapter 4

**Title:** Lips of Pink

**Pairing:** Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom

**Spoiler:** CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.

**Summary:** Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

**Disclaimer:** I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

**My Note: **Sorry this took so long. Life often gets in the way. I'm always apologizing, but maybe one day I'll be better about updating! If you have a kindle and are looking for a new book to read, my novel Farther Side of Away (by Signy Cullen) is free on Kindle from September 24-28.

**Chapter 4: Sociology Can Be Murder**

Nick and Sara had just returned from dinner when their pagers went off. They exchanged a familiar look of 'here we go again' and grabbed their gear.

They arrived at a fancy office building near the center of town. It was in a good area and the building looked to have very good security.

As they walked into the building, Nick stared up at the security camera outside the front door. "Hopefully those cameras work," he said as they passed through the doors.

Sara and Nick were greeted by a copy in the lobby. He showed them up to the second floor where they found Det. Vartann in a large office at the end of the hall.

An older man lay on his stomach on the floor, a blood pool around his head. David, the assistant coroner, was leaning over him. Nick and Sara set down their kits and surveyed the large room. The walls were mostly bare, but for a couple of paintings and a few of diplomas.

"Sara, Nick. Victim is a Dr. Gary Roberts. Age 52. He is a sociologist studying gamblers," he informed them. "He's from Michigan, in town to do his study. He's been working with a Dr. Eric Mansfield. Dr. Mansfield was the one who found the victim this evening."

Nick pulled his camera out of his bag and began to take pictures of the office. It wasn't too messed up, but just enough to show a slight struggle.

"Absence of a struggle means that it was probably someone the victim knew," Nick remarked as he moved about the room.

"Where's Grissom?" Sara asked behind Nick.

Nick cringed but went back to taking pictures.

"He called saying he's going to be a few minutes late. Apparently the babysitter got sick," Vartann said.

"It's so weird to see Grissom, of all people, with a child," David remarked.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Gris is great with Timmy," Nick said, a little defensively. He still hadn't gotten used to Grissom being a dad, but he had been great with the little boy so far.

"Oh, I didn't mean-I just mean it's odd," David tripped over his words. He cleared his throat and looked at the victim, pointing to his wounds. "Vic has multiple blunt object wounds to the head. One on the front and two on the back. There seems to be some skin beneath his nails, so he might have fought with his attacker."

"I'll get some scrapings," Sara said. She grabbed the things she needed from her kit and kneeled next to the body.

Nick moved behind the desk and took a few photos of the papers on the table. "There's a blood pattern here," he said out loud. He took a few photos of the pattern and paused to think. "Looks like something was here when the vic was attacked."

"Probably papers?" Vartann suggested. "Whatever it is, it's got blood on it."

Nick nodded. "Maybe something the vic was working on. We need a list of the people he was studying. He obviously ran into something bad." He went back to taking photos of the office. His eyes wandering over the various books on the shelf behind the desk. Some broad Sociology books and a dozen or so on gambling. Most of the gambling books looked worn, like he had read them too many times.

"Sorry I'm late," Grissom's voice floated through the room.

Nick turned to look back at his boss and then turned back to the bookshelf.

"I take it you got the babysitter situation worked out?" Sara asked from her spot on the floor. She was busy getting blood samples and finding evidence.

"Yes, I did," Grissom answered.

Nick bit back a chuckle at Grissom's short answer. He was never one to share much about his personal life.

Vartann brought Grissom up to speed while David wheeled the body out of the office. Once they moved his body, they found a few strands of hair underneath his body. Sara collected the evidence and bagged it.

After another couple of hours, they had thoroughly searched the place for evidence while Vartann and Grissom had interviewed the Dr. Mansfield that had found Roberts' body and called 911.

Nick and Sara pilled the evidence they had collected into his SUV and began the drive back to the lab. Nick still had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he didn't know how. He could tell Sara had feelings for Grissom. But he knew Grissom wouldn't leave Amelia. It was an odd love triangle that left Nick on the outside.

He loved Sara and had for a long time. He just didn't want to end up the fool in the end.

"If you have something to say, just say it Nick," Sara said.

Nick sighed. "It's not that easy. You can't just break into something like this."

"Are you mad because I talked to Grissom about Timmy?"

Nick jutted out his jaw in anger. He sighed again and shook his head. "No, I'm not. But you know Gris doesn't like to talk about his private life. And why bother asking? I just…I don't know what you want from me, Sara."

"Nick, please. I know how Grissom is. Doesn't mean I can't ask. I thought you'd be interested in how your nephew is."

"He's my nephew. I get an update everyday from Ames. Besides, he's a baby. There's not much going on there. If I want to know, I'll ask. Just-it's ok."

The pair remained quiet as they drove the rest of the way back to the lab. Nick just didn't know what to say anymore. Half of it seemed like his brain was making up drama and the rest…he saw the way Sara looked at Grissom. He wasn't imagining that, was he?

Once back at the lab, they unpacked the evidence and began to log it in. By the time they were done, the sun was coming up and Nick's back was killing him.

With a yawn, he said goodbye to Sara and headed home.

Maybe sleep would help him figure things out.


End file.
